Presentations

Hosted by the Centre for Inclusive Employment – Evidence to Practice: Working effectively with employers

1. Working effectively with employers
Professor Jo Ingold, Professor of Human Resource Management, Peter Faber Business School, Australian Catholic University

This presentation will outline the key research evidence related to working effectively with employers to build employment opportunities for people with disability. Drawing from the international and Australian literature, the presentation will identify the key ingredients of effective employer engagement including building and sustaining relationships, challenging stigma and bias and post-placement support.

2. Utilising an Employer Enablement Framework to develop inclusive hospitality opportunities. The experience of W Hotels.
Sharon Kumar, Executive Manager, Member Services, Australian Disability Network (AusDN) and David West, Director of Human Resources, W Hotel Melbourne

Employing 100 was an ILC funded project that aimed to successfully place 100 talented and suitably skilled job seekers with disability into roles within four major employers, CSL Limited, Marriott International, McDonald’s Australia and The Salvation Army. Employing 100 utilised an employer enablement framework to equip participating employers with the tools, resources, and training to employ people with disability in a sustainable way.

This presentation will outline the employer enablement framework, how it supported the employment of people with disability across the four organisations and the resulting outcomes from the perspective of one business, the W Hotel in Melbourne.

3 . EmployAble – Supporting young adults with psychosocial disabilities into employment
Prof Byron Keating, Co-Director, QUT Vulnerability Research Group

The EmployAble Program is an innovative training and placement intervention designed to support young adults (18-35) with psychosocial disabilities (PSD) in securing entry-level retail jobs. Supported by an Information, Linkages, and Connections Grant from the Department of Social Services, the program leverages evidence-based strategies to enhance employability and resilience among participants.

Using insights from systematic literature reviews that examined effective support mechanisms from the perspectives of employers, service providers, and jobseekers, EmployAble adapted the ARA’s ‘Retail Ready’ training to make it more suitable to the needs of participants, including a blended delivery model with self-paced online modules and face-to-face workshops. To further enhance long-term employment prospects of participants, the program also incorporated wrap-around supports informed by Self-Determination Theory and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. The aim was to help participants to develop resilience plans to address potential mental health challenges in the workplace, empowering them to proactively manage their well-being and discuss strategies with supervisors.

Since its commencement in 2023, the program has expanded to multiple cities with positive outcomes: 92% training completion, 89% placement completion, and 85% rated as job-ready, with 51% gaining employment. Importantly, the program led to a 17% increase in participant’s perceived autonomy and a 14% improvement in perceived competence. Despite successes, challenges remain, including the need for employer literacy and confidence around employing and supporting staff with PSD. This presentation will showcase a suite of evidence-informed tools and resources that have been developed using QUT’s CARE Framework as part of a funded extension to enhance demand-side capabilities.

Presenters

Jo Ingold

Professor of Human Resource Management , Peter Faber Business School, Australian Catholic University

Jo is Professor of Human Resource Management at the Peter Faber Business School, Australian Catholic University, Melbourne. She has spent over two decades working in and around employment services.

As part of the Good Work Research Group, Jo is currently leading an Australian Research Council Linkage (with partners Social Ventures Australia, Asuria, Jobsbank and Jobs Victoria) to analyse how employment service providers can work with employers to capitalise on hidden talent and to develop job quality standards for Australia. She also leads the evaluation of Social Ventures Australia’s Employer Innovation Labs and is a co-lead on an Economic and Social Research Council-funded grant on the role of social procurement in fostering good work in the UK, US and Australia. Jo is passionate about making employment services work for candidates and employers and works with government and practitioners to support policy and practice.

Jo has lived experience of disabilities, is a Fellow of the Institute of Employability Professionals and co-chairs the UK Employment Related Services Association’s Employer Engagement Forum. She is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, a Chartered Academic Member of the Australian Human Resource Institute and a member of the Australian Research Council’s College of Experts.

Employer Engagement: Making Active Labour Market Policies Work co-edited by Jo Ingold and Patrick McGurk (Bristol University Press) out now in paperback: https://bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/employer-engagement

Sharon Kumar

Executive Manager, Member Services, Australian Disability Network (AusDN)

Sharon Kumar is the Executive Manager, Member Services at Australian Disability Network (AusDN). In this role, Sharon works closely with member organisations to support them in building disability-confident workplaces, driving best practice in access and inclusion, and creating meaningful employment opportunities for people with disability.

Sharon was previously the Head of Programs at AusDN, where she led the successful Employing 100 pilot and oversaw the organisation’s long-running internship and mentoring programs. With a strong focus on collaboration, Sharon partners with employers to embed inclusive practices across recruitment, career development, and leadership pathways—supporting systemic change and more inclusive workspaces for all.

David West

Director of Human Resources , W Melbourne

David West, Director of Human Resources at W Melbourne, where he leads the HR discipline with a focus on enhancing employee satisfaction and retention. With over 15 years of experience in human resources, David has a proven track record in talent acquisition, training and development, and performance management.

David’s strategic approach to HR has been instrumental in implementing advanced HR technology systems that streamline recruitment, training, and performance evaluation processes. His initiatives have significantly reduced turnover from 52% to 33% in 2024, his commitment to inclusive recruitment and helped attract, develop, and retain top talent, with W Melbourne achieving 7.4% of its workforce as identifying with a disability. This groudwork has led Marriott International to commit to a 20% target of associates identifying with a disability in the next 3 years.

David is passionate about fostering a positive work environment and has launched employee pre-employment programs like ‘people first’ and ‘my work my way’ which coincidently has succeded in boosting morale, productivity, and overall employee health. His efforts have not only enhanced the employer brand but also contributed to reducing recruitment costs.
Outside of his professional life, David enjoys mentoring young professionals. His commitment to continuous improvement and innovation makes him an asset to W Melbourne and the broader HR community.

Prof Byron Keating

Co-Director, QUT Vulnerability Research Group

Prof Byron Keating is Co-Director of the QUT Vulnerability Research Group, where he leads the Employment and Economic Participation Program. He also oversees the QUT Disability Research Network, a multidisciplinary group of over 50 researchers dedicated to understanding social, institutional, and technological factors impacting people with disabilities.

With an long-standing interest in Government-funded employment services, Prof Keating has worked with the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations (DEWR) to investigate how value alignment among stakeholders in the employment services ecosystem influences information sharing. Additionally, he was commissioned by DEWR to evaluate JobFit, a gamified mobile application that served as a pilot for Workforce Australia’s digital services approach.

His recent research focuses on supply-side innovation within Disability Employment Services (DES) as part of an ARC Industrial Transformation Training Centre. He is also leading a DSS-funded ILC project to better understand how demand-side employer capabilities affect employment outcomes of young adults with psychosocial disabilities.